Launched via His Highness’ instagram and twitter accounts, #MyDubai is an initiative to create the world’s first autobiography of a city, encouraging the people of Dubai to share compelling moments of their lives and the true culture and soul of the city that lies beneath the urban and technological experiences.

DTCM will join the initiative by selecting outstanding contributions made by the people of Dubai, by showcasing the best photographs and videos on its social media channels - @definitelydubai – and throughout the year at exhibitions and roadshows, and by sharing photographs and videos of the department’s work promoting the city around the world. DTCM marked its commitment to the initiative by showcasing ten images posted with the #MyDubai hashtag since yesterday’s announcement, each of which highlight why Dubai is one of the world’s leading tourism destinations.

H.E Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, DTCM, said: “As His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, stated yesterday, the remarkable passion for Dubai that exists amongst both UAE nationals and the communities of more than 200 nationalities living in Dubai is an often untold part of the Emirate’s success. This passion has been demonstrated in no uncertain terms with more than 25,000 images and videos uploaded to Instagram with the hashtag MyDubai just 12 hours after the project was launched by His Highness.

“The best marketers of a city are the people who live in it and through DTCM’s involvement in #MyDubai, it is our intention to showcase the best of the city by curating images, videos and stories of residents experiencing the events, attractions, hotels, restaurants and other elements of our destination offering. We will launch a number of projects throughout the year under the #MyDubai banner, all of which will both encourage residents to be tourists in their own city and will highlight why Dubai is now the seventh most visited city in the world.”

With the ultimate vision of positioning Dubai as the world’s leading tourism destination and commercial hub, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) mission is to increase the awareness of Dubai to global audiences and to attract tourists and inward investment into the Emirate.

DTCM is the principal authority for the planning, supervision, development and marketing of Dubai’s tourism sector; markets and promotes the Emirate’s commerce sector; and is responsible for the licencing and classification of all tourism services, including hotels, tour operators and travel agents. Brands and departments within the DTCM portfolio include Dubai Convention and Events Bureau, Dubai Calendar, and Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (formerly known as Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment). In addition to its headquarters in Dubai, DTCM operates 20 offices worldwide.